hse Three gorges Dam 三峡大坝对自然环境的影响英文.docx
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hseThreegorgesDam三峡大坝对自然环境的影响英文
Abstract
ThemainobjectiveofthisresearchprojectwastoinvestigatetheimpactsofChina’sThreeGorgesDamonthesurroundingenvironment.Afterreadingandcollectingarangeofsourcesfrominternet,journalarticlesandbooks,Imanagedtoarrangetheseimpactsintodifferentaspectssystematically.ThebenefitsofThreeGorgesasarenewableenergysourcewerefirstlyexpressed.Thenegativeenvironmentalconsequencesparticularlyaddressedweretheincreasingfrequencyoflandslides;thedisruptionofbiodiversity;thelargescaleofdeforestation;thecontaminationofYangtzeRiverwatersource.Conclusionishencereachedthatthenegativeenvironmentimpactsofthedamoutweighedthepositive.TheresearchprojectacknowledgedChineseGovernment’seffortstopreventtheadverseenvironmentimpacts,discussedtheimportanceofsustainabledevelopment.Futurefatesofthedamwerealsocommented.
Introduction
Fullyfunctionedfrom4thJuly,2012,ThreeGorgesDaminHubei,Chinaistheworld’slargestpowerstationintermsofinstalledcapacity(ThreeGorgesDam,http:
//www.wikipedia.org/,2014).ChineseGovernmentconstantlyportraysthedamasasymbolofChina’sadvancedtechnologyandasymbolofChina’srapiddevelopment.Thepositivecommentsarecorroboratedbyremarkablefacts.Thetotalelectricgeneratingcapacityofthedamis22500MW(ThreeGorgesDam,http:
//www.wikipedia.org/,2014);anexecutivewithChinaYangtzeRiverThreeGorgesProjectDevelopmentCorporationmentionedthatthedamaccountsfor14%ofChina’stotalhydrogenerationin2012(ThreeGorgesProjectcapableofgenerating47blnkwhofpower,2005).However,ThreeGorgesDamhasalwaysbeenacontroversialissue.Infact,theprojectisseenasanenvironmentalcatastrophebymanyexpertsandactivistsabroad.Inthisresearchproject,generalizationoftheenvironmentalbenefitsofThreeGorgesDamwillfirstbemade.Themainfocuswillbetheadverseenvironmentalimpactsofthedam,namelylandslides;disruptiontoecosystem;deforestationandYangtzeRiverwaterpollution.
BodyParagraphs
TherearesomeundeniableenvironmentalbenefitsoftheThreeGorgesDam.Chinadesperatelyneedssufficientelectricpowertomeetthedemandofgrowingelectricityconsumption,soindustrializationcouldbesustained(ThreeGorgesProjectcapableofgenerating47blnkwhofpower,2005).InChina,energywaschieflyachievedthroughtheburningoffossilfuelsbeforetheconstructionoftheThreeGorgesDam.Variousgreenhousegaseswereproducedduringthecombustion.Asaresult,Chinaisfrequentlycriticizedbyglobalenvironmentalistsfor“deterioratingthesituationofglobalwarming.”Hydroelectricpowerisacleanandrenewablesourceofenergytoprovideelectricity.AccordingtoXieXiufa,aseniorengineeroftheThreeGorgesBureauundertheYangtzeRiverWaterResourcesCommittee(Wertz,2007),“ThreeGorgesDamiscapableofgenerating84.7billionkilowatt-hoursofelectricityayear.Everyyear,itcanreduce50milliontonsofcoalconsumption,approximately100milliontonsofcarbondioxide,2milliontonsofsulphurdioxides,around10,000tonsofcarbonicoxideandabout370,000tonsofnitrogenoxide.”HenceThreeGorgesDamremarkablycontributestothereductionoffossilfuelscombustion,facilitatesthealleviationofglobalwarming.Judgedbytheexhilaratingpositiveenvironmentalimpacts,ThreeGorgesDamseemstobeanecessary,beneficialandreasonableprojectdespiteitscosts.
Eventhoughtheprojectisanenvironmentalfriendlyalternativetofossilfuelscombustion,theThreeGorgesDamhashaddestructiveimpactsontheenvironment.Somenoticeableaspectsincludetheincreasingfrequencyoflandslides;thedisruptionofbiodiversityandecologicalstability;deforestationandYangtzeRiverwaterpollution.
ThreeGorgesDamincreasedthefrequencyoflandslidesinYangtzeRiverarea,asthefluctuationsofwaterlevelandthehugeweightofthewaterhaveaffectedthelandstability.InoneaspectthewaterbehindtheThreeGorgesDamisbeyondthewithstandinglimitoftheYangtzeRiverbank(Jiang,2007).Sowaterstartstoseepintotheloosesoilatthebasesofrockycliffs,makethelandmorepronetolandslides.Inanotheraspectthisisascribedtothefluctuationofwaterlevel.Insummer,engineersdrainthereservoirtoaccommodatefloodwater;howeverthewaterlevelisraisedattheendoffloodseasoninordertogeneratepower.Thefrequentchangesinwaterleveldamageddownstreamdikesusedforlandcontrol,triggeredalotoflandslides(Campbell-Hyde,2007).Frequencyoflandslideisalsoincreasedduetothelossinsedimentandnutrientsdownstream.YangtzeRiverisvulnerable(Yang,2007).ResearcherShai(2007)statedtheriverbedabovethesurroundingcountrysideisfirstlyraisedbysedimentation.Theyarethenheldbackbydikes.Thedamtrappedmostofthesilts,reducedspeedoftheYangtzewaterflowbehindthedam,whichmeanswaterreleasedbyThreeGorgeswillrunfaster,threatenthedikesfurthermore.Upto2006,theareahasalreadyexperiencedmorethantenlandslidesalongone20-milestretchofriverbank(Jiang,2007).AccordingtoTanQiwei,vicemayorofChongqing,themostseverelandslidewastheoneoccurredin2006afterthefillingofthe600-kilometrereservoir.36kilometresofshorelinehadcavedin.Thelandslidehadproducedwavesashighas50metres(Chan,2007).
Thediagrambelow(Anon.,2012)showstheextentthatThreeGorgesDamaffectedlandstabilitysinceitsconstruction.
Inadditionthedamhashadseriousimpactsontheecosystem,disruptedtheecologicalequilibrium.López-Pujola,J&MandRen(2009)foundthroughresearchthattheYangtzeRiverecosystemisoneofthemostcrucialbiodiversityareasinChina.About6000plantspecies,500terrestrialvertebratesand160speciesoffishevolve,breedandlivethere.Amongthem,47speciesareendangered.ThemostpreciousspeciesisChineseRiverDolphinBaiji,knownas“GoddessoftheYangtze".In1990,thepopulationofdolphinBaijiwasestimatedtobe200.SincetheconstructionofThreeGorgesDamin1994,Baiji’shabitatsinthethreegorgesareawerethreatened;makethespeciesmorefragileandvulnerable.In1998,onlysevenbaijisarefoundinanofficialsurvey.In2003,theThreeGorgesDambegantofillthereservoir(Baiji,http:
//www.wikipedia.org/,2014).Duringthisperiod,consequentproblemsofflooding,waterdiversion,waterpollution,increaseinshiptrafficandthepopulationrelocationwereraised.Thelivingconditionofbaijisdeterioratedsorapidlythatin2006,baijiwasofficiallydeclaredextinct.Notonlybaijiisaffected,theimpactsofthedamonSiberianCranemayalsobecatastrophic.Itisestimatedthat95%ofthe3200criticallyendangeredSiberianCranenormallywinterinthePoyangLake,ahabitatofftheSouthbankofYangtzeRiver(SiberianCrane,http:
//www.wikipedia.org/,2014).Unfortunately,inordertostorewaterfor ThreeGorgesDam,theareaofthelakedwindledtoonly200squarekilometresin2012(PoyangLake,http:
//www.wikipedia.org/,2013).Ifmostofthesewinterlandsaredestroyed,thecraneswillfacethesamefateofextinctionasBaijis.
ThisisapictureofthecrackedbedofthedriedareaofXieshan,whichispartofPoyangLakeineastChina'sJiangxiprovince(ChinaLakeDrought,,2012)
TheconstructionandfunctionofThreeGorgesDamhavetriggereddeforestation,whichincreasedtheamountofgreenhousegasemission.AccordingtoFerraro’sresearch(2007),primarily,deforestationoccurredonalargescaleoutofnecessity.Farmlandsareneededfortherefugeeswhosehomesandfarmswerefloodedbythereservoir.Inaddition,somefactoriestookadvantageofthepowerandtransportopportunitiespromisedbytheThreeGorgesDam.Largescaleofunregulatedloggingswascarriedoutinordertosatisfythedemandsforindustrialization(Chan,2007).Thisisdevastatingbecauseforestsplayacrucialroleinnegatinggreenhousegasaccumulationintheatmosphere.Someexpertsclaimedthatcarbondioxideproducedduringtheconstructionofdamisnegligible.NeverthelessresearcherFerraro(2007)statedcarbondioxideproducedfromdeforestationisresponsiblefor20%oftheworld’sgreenhousegasemissions.Furthermorecarbondioxideisnormallyreleasedwhenthereservoirisflooded.Consequently,treesarelikelytodecomposeatthebottomofthereservoirwithoutoxygen.Thedissolvedgreenhousegaslikemethanewillbuildupandbereleasedtotheatmospherewhenwaterpassesthroughturbines.ThisisthereasonwhyÉricDuchemin,aconsultantfortheIntergovernmentalPanelonClimateChange(IPCC)claimed“hydropowermaynotbeacleanalternativetofossilfuels(Graham-Rowe,2005)”
TheThreeGorgesDamalsocausedseverepollutioninYangtzeRiver,contaminatedthewatersourceofmanyresidents.TheThreeGorgesDamactedlikeabarrier,trappedthewastematerialsintheriverinsteadofwashingthemouttothesea(China’sThreeGorgesDam,1999).YangtzeRiverisalreadyoneofthemostpollutedriversintheworld(Jiang,2007).Thepollutedwateralsosubmergedsomesanitationinfrastructure,deterioratedthecondition(ThreatofPollutionintheYangtze,http:
//wwf.panda.org/,N/A).Ferraro(2007)statedthat“thereservoirhasflooded1,600abandonedfactories,minesanddumps;blockedapproximatelytenmilliontonsofplasticbags,animalcorpsesandtrees;morethan265gallonsofrawsewagearealsodumpedintotheYangtzeeveryyear.”Unfortunately,becauseYangtzeRiverisproximaltomanymajorcitycenters,itistheonlywatersourcetoabout300millionpeople.Th